The present disclosure relates to an imaging system for detecting characteristics of a surface. Such characteristics may include cracks, micro-recesses, warping, pits, bulges, tilting, etc. In some embodiments of the present technology, the imaging system is particularly configured to inspect characteristics of the surface of a flat panel, a die, or a bare wafer for an integrated-circuit.
Very faint micro-cracks, flatness, and tilt angle are examples characteristics associated with the surface of a bare wafer, a die, or a flat panel that may be difficult to detect using standard or high-resolution cameras and regular dark-field or bright-field lighting.